Strap sealing tool



April 22, 1958 K. A. FALCK-PEDERSEN STRAP SEALING TOOL 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 16, 1955 INVENTOR- KJELL A. FALCK-PEDERSE/V BY Mdq, Ms W ATTORNEYS April 1958 K. A. FALCK-PEDERSEN 2,831,380

STRAP SEALING TOOL s Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 16, 1955 INVENTOR.

KJELL A. FALCK-PEDERSEN A7I'TORNEYS April 1953 K. A. FALCK-PEDERSEN 2,831,380

STRAP SEALING TOOL 3 Shegts-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 16, 1955 INVENTOR. KJELL A FALCK- PEDERSEN A T TORNEVS STRAP SEALING TOOL Kjell A. Falck-Pedersen, Park Forest, 11]., assignor to Acme Steel Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois This invention relates to improvements in strap sealing tools and its purpose is to provide an improved de vice for forming an interlocking joint between the ends of a metal strap used in reinforcing boxes or packages or in binding together a plurality of such load units in the process of loading a freight car or other carrier.

It is common practice to form joints between the ends of steel binding straps or the like by overlapping the ends within a surrounding tubular metal seal and then deforming the seal and the enclosed strap ends to provide interlocking parts so that the strap ends are secured together. It sometimes happens that the tool which is employed in deforming the seal and the strap ends is not fully operated so that a complete interlocking joint is not formed and such a partial operation of the tool has sometimes caused the accidental release of the package or load which has been bound.

The principal object of the present invention is to insure against the failure of a strap joint in the manner described by providing an improved strap sealing tool which must be fully operated to form a complete interlocking joint when its operation has once been initiated. Another object is to provide a strap sealing tool adapted to form a joint between a seal and overlapping strap ends comprising relatively movable parts adapted to deform the seal and the strap ends and comprising means for preventing a reverse operation of said parts to release the seal until after the joint forming operation has been fully completed. Other objects of the invention relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment is illustrated. In the drawings,

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of one type of joint which may be formed between overlapping strap ends with the use of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a partial side elevation and partial vertical section through a strap sealing tool embodying the present invention, the section being taken on the line 22 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 3 shows a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to that of Fig. 2 illustrating the relative positions of the parts when the jaws of the sealing tool have been separated as shown in Fig. 7;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional View similar to that of Fig. 4 showing the relative positions of the parts when the jaws have been partially closed upon the seal;

Fig. 6 shows a vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 shows an end elevation of the sealing tool looking toward the right as viewed in Fig. 2.

The sealing tool of the present invention may be used in forming the type of joint illustrated in Fig l which comprises a metal strap 16 having overlapping ends 10a and Illlb which are enclosed within a tubular metal seal 11. The edge portions of the seal and the enclosed strap ends are deformed in the operation of the tool in order to form indentations 12 in the marginal portions of the States Patent seal and the strap ends, thus providing interlocking shoulders between these parts which prevent relative endwise movement of the strap ends.

The improved sealing tool shown in Figs. 2 to 7, inclusive, comprises a metal casing 14 having a front cover plate 15 which is secured thereto by screws 16 and also by bolts 17 and nuts 17a. The casing 14 is provided with a lateral extension 14a forming a housing for parts of the apparatus and this extension terminates in a tubular part 14b which is internally threaded for engagement by the threaded extremity of an operating lever 19, a portion of which is broken away in the drawings. This operating lever is adapted to be used in supporting the tool in operating position and is adapted to cooperate with a relatively movable lever arm 20 in effecting the actuation of the parts which cause the deformation of the seal and the enclosed strap ends.

Within the chamber of the casing 14 two relatively movable jaws 22 are pivotally mounted. Each jaw comprises a pair of bending dies 23 having inwardly turned hook-like extremities 23a which are adapted to embrace the opposite edge portions of the seal 11 when the jaws are closed from the relative positions shown in Fig. 6 to the positions shown in Fig. 7. In order to receive the seal and the enclosed strap ends when the jaws are open as shown in Fig. 6, the lower edges of the casing 1 and the cover plate 15 are cut away to form openings 24, and immediately above these openings, 21 bar extends from the body of the casing 14 to the lower part of the cover plate 15. The bending dies 23 of each jaw 22 have mounted between them a deforming die 25 which is rotatably mounted upon the supporting bolt 17 and which is provided with an annular transversely curved surface 25a adapted to coact with the edges of the seal and the enclosed strap ends when the jaws are closed upon each other to effect the identa-tions 12 which are shown in Fig. 1. The sealing jaws and deforming dies of the type just described are claimed in the copending application of James M. Thornbery and James N. Wognum, Serial No. 480,244, filed January 6, 1955.

The bending dies 23 of each jaw 22 have upwardly extending arms 23b which are spaced apart to receive between them one of the links 26 which is pivotally con nected thereto by means of a pin 27. These links are pivotally connected at their inner ends by separate pins 28 to a block 30 which is mounted to slide vertically in guideways 14d and 15a which are formed in the casing and in the cover plate, respectively. Thus, the vertical reciprocation of the block 30 is adapted to effect opening and closing movements of the jaws 22. The block 30 is operated by the lever arm 20 through a link 31 which enters a recess 30a in the block and is pivotally connected thereto by a pin 32. The upper end of the link 31 is pivotally connected by a pin 33 to the yoke 34 in which the forward end of the operating lever 20 is secured by means of a bolt 35. The yoke 34 extends between two ears 14d formed on the casing 14 and is pivotally connected thereto by a pin 36. With this arrangement, the angular movement of the lever arm 20 about the pin 36 -11 is adapted to effect the reciprocation of the block 30.

* apertures formed in the wall of the housing. A latch member 40 is pivotally mounted on the shaft 38 and is provided adjacent its upper end with a hook portion 40a adapted to project forwardly in line with the path of travel of the block 30 as shown in Fig. 5. The latch member 40 is normally moved toward that position by a coil spring 41 which has one end connected to an ear 40b formed on the bottom of the latch member, while the other end of the spring is connected to a detent 42 which is pivoted on a hollow pin 43 secured in the walls of the housing 14a. The spring 41 thus serves also to move the detent 42- in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 2 and 4 so that its tooth 42a is adapted to overlie a shoulder 40c formed on the latch member, thereby holding the latch member in the retracted position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4. The detent 42 extends between two ears 49d which extend rcarwardly from the body of the latch member and the upper part of the detent is provided with a forwardly and upwardly inclined arm 42.5 which extends through a slot 40c formed in the latch member.

In order to retract the latch member 46 from the forward position shown in Fig. 5, a pin 44 is mounted to slide in a vertical bore 14 formed in the housing and this bore is provided on one side with an elongated recess engaged by a transverse pin 45 fixed in the housing, thus limiting the vertical movement of the pin 44. The lower part of the pin 44 is bifurcated to form two spaced flanges 44a which extend on opposite sides of the detent 42 in position to engage the ears 40d which are formed on the latch member. When the lever arm 2t] is in its lowermost position shown in Fig. 2, corresponding tothe lower position of the block .30 and the closed positions of the jaws 22, shown in Figs. 2 and 7, a projection 35a formed on the nut 35b secured to the bolt 35 is adapted to engage the head 44b of the pin 44 and thus rock the latch member 40 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 5, thereby moving the tooth 46a of the latch member out of the path of travel of the block 30.

In the operation of the sealing tool, the operating lever 20 is moved to its extreme upper position as shown in Fig. 4, thereby separating the hook portions 23a of the opposite jaws to the maximum extent as illustrated in Fig. 6. With the tool supported by the operator who then holds the lever 19 with one hand, the tool is moved to a position where the hook portions 23a of the jaws embrace the seal and the enclosed strap ends which are to be deformed to produce an interlocking joint. When the lever arm 20 is moved to this upper position, the latch member 40 is held in its retracted position by the detent 42, as shown in Fig. 2, but as the block 30 approaches its uppermost position, it strikes the arm 42!) of the detent and moves it in a clockwise direction against the tension of the spring 41 with the result that the latch member 40 is released so that the detent 49a moves forward against the side of the block 30 as shown in Fig. 4. Then, upon the subsequent downward movement of the lever arm 26, the latch member 40 is actuated by the spring 41 to cause the tooth 40a to extend forwardly above the upper edge of the block 30, as illustrated in Fig. 5, where the lever arm 24} is shown as having partially completed its downward movement toward the lever arm 19. When the block 30 has reached this position it is prevented from being returned in an upward direction by the tooth 40a of the latch member and the hook portions 23a of the bending dies will then have been brought into engagement with the edges of the seal so that the tool cannot be removed from the seal and the direction of movement of the lever arm 20 cannot be reversed on account of the interference provided by the latch tooth 40a. It is, therefore, necessary for the operator to continue the downward movement of the lever 26 to finish the formation of the joint between the seal and the strap ends. When the final position of the lever 24) is reached and the joint is completely formed, the projection 3511 on the lever 29 actuates the pin 44 so that it then restores the latch member 40 to its retracted position where it is automatically held by the spring actuated detent 42. The lever arm Ztl may then be raised again to the position shown in Fig. 4 in readiness for another operation of the tool.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments which come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination in a tool adapted to form a joint between a metal seal and enclosed metal strap ends, of relatively movable parts adapted to deform said seal and said strap ends to form an interlocking joint, a movable member adapted to actuate said parts to form a joint, means for moving said member in a forward direction to form a joint, a latch movable into the path of said member to prevent a reverse movement of said member only after said forward movement has been initiated, means actuated by said member moving means when said member reaches the end of its forward movement for retracting said latch from said path, and a detent operative for holding said latch in its retracted position during a reverse movement of said member, said detent having a part engagable by said member as said member reaches the end of its reverse stroke for actuating said detent to release said latch.

2. The combination in a tool adapted to form a joint between a metal seal and overlapping metal strap ends, a casing, relatively movable parts carried by said casing for deforming said seal and said strap ends to form an interlocking joint, a reciprocating member mounted in said casing for actuating said parts, means for reciprocating said member in a forward direction to actuate said parts to form a joint and in a reverse direction to separate said parts from said seal, a latch movable automatically into the path of movement of said member only after the forward movement of said member has been initiated for preventing said movement in a reverse direction, means operated by said member reciprocating means when said member reaches the end of its forward movement for retracting said latch, and a spring actuated detent for then automatically holding said latch in its retracted position to permit the movement of said member in said reverse direction, said detent having a part engagable by said member as it reaches the end of said reverse movement for causing said detent to release said latch, said latch when so released being adapted to bear against the side of said member in position to move automatically into the path of said member when said forward movement of said member has been initiated.

3.The combination in a tool adapted to form a joint between a metal seal and overlapping metal strap ends, a casing, relatively movable parts carried by said casing for deforming said seal and said strap ends to form an interlocking joint, a reciprocating member mounted in said casing for actuating said parts, means including a handle for reciprocating said member in a forward direction to actuate said parts to form a joint and in a reverse direction to separate said parts from said seal, a latch movable automatically into the path of move ment of said member after the forward movement of said member has been initiated for preventing said movement in a reverse direction, means actuated by said handle when said member reaches the end of its forward movement for engaging and retracting said latch, and a spring actuated detent automatically engaging said latch to then hold it in its retracted position to permit the movement of said member in said reverse direction, said detent having a part engageable by said member as it reaches the end of said reverse movement for causing said detent to release said latch, said latch being adapted then to bear against said member until said member has again initiated a forward movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,397,511 Taylor Feb. 14, 1933 ,92 ,345 Edwards Aug. 29, 1933 1,984,652 0n Dec. 18, 1934 96,202 Harvey Apr. 2, 1935 3,757 Bletso Apr. 12, 1938 

